Fuel sprayers

ABSTRACT

Fuel spraying apparatus having a sprayer with an annular row of outlets surrounding an axial passage for air, a first annular swirler having blades on which fuel from the outlets impinge an annular air swirler surrounding the sprayer.

United States Patent Inventors John Frederick Stratton Blackburn; EricGates, Preston, both 01, England Appl. No. 754,349 Filed Aug. 21, 1968Patented June 15, 1971 Assignee Joseph Lucas industries LimitedBirmingham, England FUEL SPRAYERS 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

0.8. CI 239/404, 239/405, 239/423 B05b 7/10 239/383,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 744,220 11/1903 Neu 239/4001,136,849 4/1915 Tucker 239/424 X 1,954,873 4/1934 Gwathmey 239/4042,531,538 11/1950 Smith 239/404 3,182,711 5/1965 Robb 239/403 X FOREIGNPATENTS 1,245,788 10/1960 France 239/404 Primary Examiner- Lloyd L. KingAssistant ExaminerThomas C. Culp; Jr. Attorney-Holman & Stern ABSTRACT:Fuel spraying apparatus having a sprayer with an annular row of outletssurrounding an axial passage for air, a first annular swirler havingblades on which fuel from the outlets impinge an annular air swirlersurrounding the sprayer.

PATENTED JUN] 5 |97l 3. 584 T91 INVENTORS JOHN FREDERICK .STRATTON ERICGATES 8) p:wwimy V J w-a FUEL SPRAYERS The object of this invention isto provide fuel spraying apparatus for use in gas turbine engineswhereby a mixture of fuel and air is emitted into the combustion zone ofthe engine in a convenient manner.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention comprises the combination ofa sprayer having an annularly arranged row of fuel outlets surroundingan axial passage for the admission of air, and a first annular swirlerhaving helical blades which are so disposed in relation to the sprayerthat fuel emitted from the fuel outlets will be directed onto theblades, an annular air inlet surrounding the sprayer and a secondannular swirler arranged to receive air from the annular air inlet.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

PK]. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a spraying apparatus constructedin accordance with the invention installed in a gas turbine engine, and

FIG. 2 is an end elevation view on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, the spraying apparatus illustrated isdisposed at the upstream end of a flame tube (indicated generally at ofa gas turbine engine, the flame tube being surrounded by an air jacketcasing 11. It is to be understood that the configuration of the flametube and of the air jacket casing may be annular, or there may be aplurality of individual flame tubes disposed in an annular air jacketcasing. in a still further arrangement, there may be individual flametubes in individual air jacket casings.

The flame tube is supported on a part-spherical bearing surface formedon the outer ring 12 of a part defining an annular air inlet. This parthas straight vanes 13 connecting the ring 12 to an inner ring 14 whichsurrounds and is supported by a sprayer 15.

The sprayer 15 has a fuel inlet passage 16 communicating with an annulus17, in the body of the sprayer and through this extends a central axialpassage 18 for the admission of further air to the flame tube 10.Moreover, in the forward end of the annulus 17 is formed an annular rowof angularly spaced fuel outlets 19, terminating at their outlet ends inreduced diameter portions.

Carried by a sleeve 20 secured to the forward end of the sprayer body isa swirler device comprising a central boss 21 surrounded by a set ofhelical blades 22.

Carried by the flame tube is a further set of swirler blades 23 whichare concentric with the blades 22 but are separated therefrom not onlyby the sleeve 20, but also by an annular part 24. The blades 23 aremoreover axially aligned with and close to the vanes 13. Fuel from theoutlets l9 impinge on the blades 22 and tends to be well atomized andmixed with the air which also flows between the blades 22 from thecentral passage 18 of the sprayer. The central boss 21 has a streamlinedshape and has holes 25 in its forwardly presented face.

The rearward end of the sprayer l5, remote from the swirler blades 22,is provided with an annular recess 26 communicating with the annulus 17.The recess 26 is formed during manufacture of the annulus l7 and isfilled with a washer 27 and a ring 28. During assembly of these parts,the cavity defined by the recess 26 and the washer 27 is at leastpartially filled with a paste consisting of a mixture of metal and aflux. Upon heating, this is caused to set to secure both the ring 28 andthe washer 27 in place.

In an alternative construction (not shown) the inner set of blades areeach provided at their outer edges (i.e. their edges presented to thedownstream end of the engine), with spoilers which extend towards thatface of an adjacent blade against which the jets of fuel impinge so thatair fuel mixture flowing along the face of the blade from which thespoiler extends will be directed across the gap between two adjacentblades towards the outer edge of the adjacent blade, and therebyminimize risk of dribble of fuel from the edge of the blade. Thespoilers are disposed at an angle of approximately 70 to the axis of theswirler device as a whole.

We claim:

1. Fuel spraying apparatus comprising in combination, a sprayer havingan annularly arranged row of separate fuel outlets surrounding an axialpassage for the admission of air, and a first annular swirler havinghelical blades which are so disposed in relation to the outlets thatfuel emitted from the outlets will be directed onto respective ones ofthe blades, an annular air inlet surrounding the sprayer and a secondannular swirler arranged in said annular air inlet.

2. Fuel spraying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the blades ofthe first annular swirler are carried by a sleeve connected to the endof the sprayer.

3. Fuel spraying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the annularair inlet contains a further set of vanes disposed upstream of thesecond annular swirler.

1. Fuel spraying apparatus comprising in combination, a sprayer havingan annularly arranged row of separate fuel outlets surrounding an axialpassage for the admission of air, and a first annular swirler havinghelical blades which are so disposed in relation to the outlets thatfuel emitted from the outlets will be directed onto respective ones ofthe blades, an annular air inlet surrounding the sprayer and a secondannular swirler arranged in said annular air inlet.
 2. Fuel sprayingapparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the blades of the first annularswirler are carried by a sleeve connected to the end of the sprayer. 3.Fuel spraying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the annular airinlet contains a further set of vanes disposed upstream of the secondannular swirler.